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Day 64: Just Peachy

Peaches are my favorite food in the world! I feel so lucky to live in South Carolina where peaches are fresh, local and delicious all summer long! I live minutes away from the most beautiful, bountiful peach orchard around, Springs Farm. I drive past The Peach Stand everyday and I buy a basket of peaches every week during the summer. There is a HUGE difference between the hard, sour peaches available at the grocery store and the fresh, juicy, sweet peaches from The Peach Stand. They have the best peaches in the world, but don’t worry if you don’t live near the area, because they sell their peaches online and ship them around the country.

I stopped by The Peach Stand again this morning and picked up a fresh batch. I have an entire cookbook with only peach recipes, so I have no shortage of ideas of what to do with my peaches. The only problem I have is choosing which one of the delicious recipes to make!

Even though I have hundreds of peach recipes, my favorite way to enjoy a peach is just as God provided; fresh off of the tree. My kids and I went to Bush-n-Vine this Summer to pick our own peaches. This is an annual tradition that we have because I love to show the kids where food really comes from. This gives them an appreciation for healthy foods and shows them how food goes from the garden to our plates. We pick the peaches off the trees and then go home and make a fresh cobbler, peach bread and peach ice cream. Yum!

I’m glad that I’m passing on my love for peaches to my kids because peaches are full of nutrients including, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, carotene and potassium. Peaches are low in calories, but full of fiber, which is great for the waistline! Peaches also have beta-cryptoxanthin, a carotenoid with anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties. And according to Diet Health Club peaches can actually destroy extra fat layers, making them an excellent weight loss tool.

There are so many choices of peach recipes that I struggled with which one to share with you. So, I thought I’d share the two recipes that I make with my kids each year after we pick a fresh bussel of peaches. These two recipes are my favorite because I’ve adapted them to have less sugar, calories and fat, making them a guilt-free treat.

Light Peach Ice Cream

Ingredients

3 cups sliced peeled peaches (about 1 1/2 pounds)

cup half-and-half

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup skim milk

1 Tsp teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tsp almond extract

Instructions

Place chunks of peaches in a food processor and blend until finely chopped, but still some chunks remain.

Combine peaches and remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Pour peach mixture into the freezer can of an ice-cream freezer. Follow the instructions for your particular ice cream maker on how to make the ice cream; usually involves putting ice and rock salt in the container.

Stacy’s Light Peach Crisp

Ingredients

5 cups sliced peeled peaches

½ cup rolled oats

¼ cup brown sugar Splenda

Dash of salt

¼ cup whole wheat flour

½ tsp cinnamon

¼ cup sugar-free applesauce

Instructions

Combine oats, flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt and applesauce in a bowl.

Place peaches in a baking dish. Sprinkle the oat mixture over the peaches.

3 thoughts on “Day 64: Just Peachy”

I made a peach crisp last week almost the same way except I used that granola I bought at Ikea and added a touch of Non fat margerine to the topping. You gotta admit there sure can be a big difference in peaches. This year they have run the gamut from sweet and juicy to pithy and dry.

Stacy,
Thanks for the “peach crisp” recipe. I’ll definitely be making it soon. Sounds very healthy.
Your grandfather had a bean recipe that called for peaches. Would love to get that one sometime, as would like to try it.
Enjoy reading your blog.
jmn